Seahawks Thomas out With Broken Leg: Flips the Bird to Sideline

Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas has been notably vocal throughout the first four weeks of the NFL season. The safety initially held out of training camp because of a contract dispute, and most recently skipped a few practices because he didn’t believe the team was valuing him high enough.

He even went as far as to request a trade from the team, which the Seahawks was expecting to oblige to. But after Sundays loss that all will change.

Thomas suffered a broken leg in the win Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, essentially ending his season.

Maybe more interesting is the gesture the all pro safety made as he was carted off the field. Thomas, with his leg in a protective air cast, turned towards the Seattle Sideline and gave them the middle finger as he headed towards the locker room.

Whether it was intended towards the Arizona fans or his own team is speculation, but one thing is for sure… Thomas is pissed off and doesn’t care who knows it.

Thomas has been disgruntled in Seattle for some time. During offseason training the safety held out of practices because he wanted to be signed to a long term deal. The Seahawks have been reluctant, and no contract negotiations have been going on for some time.

After arriving late or simply skipping multiple practices in recent weeks, the Seahawks tentatively placed Thomas on the trade block, and a deal was heating up between a few potential suiters including the Dallas Cowboys. But after the painful set back Thomas received Sunday, all deals are off the table.

With his season over, and his time with the Seahawks abruptly screeching to a halt, Thomas felt the need to express himself by flipping off his own sideline in a final goodbye to the team. Whether that increases his free agency stock next season or not, we will have to wait and see.

Thomas’s injury has also sparked a conversation over how damaging a holdout can potentially be. After missing all of training camp, Thomas placed himself at a disadvantage to other players who have had the ability to work out and ready their bodies for the upcoming season.

After suffering another broken leg injury, it is speculated around the league that an appearance at training camp could have prevented the injury all together. Or, it could have forced the inevitable to happen even sooner, but with Thomas we will never know.

Thomas has a long road ahead of him with recovery, and maybe even a more difficult one as he attempts to find a new team to play for next season. His off the field antics are surely a deterrent, and his 2nd brown leg won’t have teams eager to pick up the phone and call him.

But his football resume stands for itself, and the expectation is Thomas will be laying hard hits come this time next season.

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Tom is a student at Fisher College in Boston. Tom spends his time conquering video games and exploring his city of Boston. His favorite part of writing is the stories and hopes to tell them for years to come.